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has designed a new athletic and academic facility for , in Chandler, Ariz.

The 70,000-square-foot Coyote Center will house multiple classrooms, an admissions office, athletic training facilities and a 1,700-seat arena for basketball, volleyball and assemblies. Jim Kalvelage, an Opsis principal, said the facility also will serve as a gateway to the college’s campus.

鈥淎s we’ve worked on it, there’s been more reflection on scaling back on the athletic side of the equation and emphasizing more on student admissions,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat area of Phoenix is just dead flat; there’s just really no relief. Creating this landform is one way to celebrate this as a landmark building.鈥�

The $17 million center is the first building Opsis has designed in a desert landscape. Kalvelage said a number of unique design strategies were implemented to address the harshness of the environment.

鈥淲e tried to really embrace the qualities of the desert,鈥� Kalvelage said. 鈥淭hat southwest sun down there is brutal.鈥�

Opsis limited the amount of windows on the south side of the facility, and provided shading on the north side. A multi-level breezeway is planned, with mechanical systems in the middle to help draw in the movement of air and promote cooling. Additionally, the facility will be built partly beneath the ground to promote cooling in its lower levels.

Kalvelage said that even though Opsis had never designed a desert facility, the firm was chosen for its sensitivity to the landscape and climate.

鈥淚 think our senses were a little more tuned in to what we needed to do in terms of fitting that environment, perhaps being from the Northwest,鈥� he said.

Opsis worked with Arizona-based firm DFDG on the design. Ten Eyck provided landscape architecture services.

鈥淥n the Boards鈥� is a weekly feature that spotlights local firms’ best design work. Submissions from architectural and engineering firms are encouraged. Please call 503-802-7240 or email [email protected].